Surface interval and snorkeling

[LeadTurn_SD]

Again, this is NOT true. Diving down will increase nitrogen load in blood and then tissues, even without breathing compressed gas.

Correct. This fact blew me away when I read it the first time. If you had told me when I started diving 30 years ago that it was possible to get DCS from freediving, I'd have asked you what you were smoking, and asked why you weren't sharing

Here is another link and a relavent quote:
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Apnea.nl - Decompression Sickness and Breath-hold diving: Is it an issue?

Comparing DCS in breath-hold and SCUBA divers:

"DCS in SCUBA divers has been described in two types, where the first type often describes skin and joint symptoms, and the second type more neurological symptoms as paralisis and coordination problems. DCS in breath-hold diving is often described as being "Taravana" altough its classic symptoms do have many similarities with DCS type two.

Why Taravana doesn't follow the same pattern as with compressed gas divers is not completely understood. It could be imagined that silent bubbels could play a role here. Bubbels created during breath-hold diving can get stuck in the lungs. A second breath-hold dive, could shrink the size of these bubbels sufficiently that they can bypass the lungs and cause problems in the brains or other neural tissue. Strangly however is that when DCS is occurs after Breath-hold diving after SCUBA diving, DCS type I is observed."
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The competetive freediving community is well aware of the dangers of DCS and deep, repetitive apnea dives.

As I started doing searches, I found that several of the elite freedivers had taken chamber rides over the years.

DCS after freediving, and freediving being a possible risk after scuba was something I would never have considered until reading this stuff a couple years ago.

Best wishes.

 

[Divingdispatcher]

Very interesting posts. Had not thought about it before.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[SkipperJohn]

It is all interesting and fascinating info. Thanks.
But I didn't think the OP really meant freediving the likes of which was described in the articles. I had only thought about flopping around on the surface like 99% of the snorkelers you're apt to see at a resort. Still i guess it is good to be aware of these things just in case.

 

[phunk]

The problem with freediving during your surface interval is not accumulating more nitrogen, the problem is the rapid ascent. If you still have the residual nitrogen from the scuba, but you're not doing a slow ascent at the end of the freedive like you would on scuba, you could have problems.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

The problem with freediving during your surface interval is not accumulating more nitrogen, the problem is the rapid ascent. If you still have the residual nitrogen from the scuba, but you're not doing a slow ascent at the end of the freedive like you would on scuba, you could have problems.

I think (from what I've been reading) that is probably correct for the "average" snorkeler.

However, if I understand what I've been reading, apparently "freediving Gods" can accumulate nitrogen on each dive, and since they a physically capable (unlike 99% of us) of doing repetitive deep breathold dives over a relatively short time span, they can and do get bent (they are not off-gassing long enough before the next breathhold dive).

And apparently it has been a known problem with freedivers for many years, it was just big news to me.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that tidbit of info. I think I understand the theory behind it, but maybe I've got it wrong.

Best wishes.

 

[boulderjohn]

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that tidbit of info. I think I understand the theory behind it, but maybe I've got it wrong.

Yes, it is a lot to get one's mind around. I am grappling with it as well.

Somehow, though, I think we are talking about something a little different from the OP's question:

Question,
Does snorkeling for an hour during your 2 hour surface interval, have any affect on your pressure group?

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

...Somehow, though, I think we are talking about something a little different from the OP's question:

I'm a famous thread derailer.

But you meet some of the nicest people when a topic goes off the rails, so I'm not likely to stop anytime soon

Best wishes.

 

[phunk]

Yeah, that makes sense. I was thinking more along the lines of quick shallow dives while snorkling.